Max Meets Wormhole
by InuApril1445
Summary: This is the chapter where Max supposedly taught Dylan to fly in thirty minutes. This is what really happened. It's between chapters 35 and 36 in the book, Fang. Please, read and review! Every one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a Dylan/Max
1. The Wormhole

**Author's Note: I do not own Maximum Ride. I just really, really, really, really, really love the stories. I was inspired by the contest from James Patterson to write a chapter of what really happened when Max taught Dylan how to fly. This is my alternate version. Enjoy! And when you're done, reviews and comments are always, ALWAYS welcome! :)**

Honestly, I didn't like it. I mean, leave me alone with the bane of my existence? My life is perfect now, thank you very much! I don't need some "other half" trying to flirt with me! And my so-called family just decided to leave me alone with him to teach him how to fly! Who knew how long that would take?

I think Fang was trying to be funny. What a time to get an I'll-show-everyone sense of humor, Fang!

Anyway, there I was, with Dylan, a guy with awesome biceps, dreamy hair, and…ugh! What am I thinking? His hair isn't that dreamy! He's, like, some super model. Fang is a god! Beat that!

"So the first thing we're going to do," I told him when everyone had gracefully landed inside our wonderful house (picked out by me!), "is push you off the roof." Ha ha! Boy, did I enjoy that look on his face! If only I'd had a camera, I would have taken a picture and hung it up on my wall to guffaw at whenever some evil scientist was trying to ruin my life.

I think he actually tried to reply to that. I didn't let him. There was no time for talking back to Maximum Ride, aka me! I used all my grace to fly up to the roof, letting him grasp my ankle for a free ride up. That was the only free-anything he was ever going to get from me.

Oh, the joy of flight! If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times (and what's up with that metaphor, anyway? It makes absolutely no sense!), but I just adore flying! It's like a way of separating yourself from all your problems and just concentrating on the wind flying between your feathers. Sorry, normies, but all you get are planes and scrap metal. It's one of the only good things about being a cross between human and bird.

Once we were up there, Dylan's first instinct was to get to the center. You know, I think it had something to do with me saying I'd push him off the roof. Huh. I'd have to store that one away for future mad scientists vs the flock banter. Anyway, I took a step forward him, trying to entice him like a dog. "Here, Dylan. Here boy!" Okay, so I didn't say exactly that. It was more like, "Get your wings over here right now if you want my help." But, you get the basic idea.

Dylan came over hesitantly. Then there was this light in his eyes. "You have the most beautiful complexion in this light."

I looked around. It was nighttime. "Yeah. What light? I think your suffering from some kind of moon madness or something. Anyway, flying is simple for all of us genetically made teens. First, you open your wings like this. Then, when you can feel the air all around you starting to fall, you flap down as hard as you can. Not that big 'Oh my gosh, I'm so manly' kind of flap. It's graceful. Sometimes, less is more." At that moment, an owl lazily floated toward us. "See Hooty over there?" (Don't you just love my petnames?). "He's just letting the wind guide his wings. He isn't overexerting himself. He isn't trying to show off," I glared at Dylan with one of my it-isn't-going-to-help-you stares, "He's living with the air." I looked down at the roof. There was a pretty big breeze tonight. You could practically hear it whistling through. Not too good for a first flight day, but I wasn't going to hold off 'till tomorrow.

"Watch me," I said as I jumped off the roof. I waited until the last possible second to snap my wings open. I tilted my feathers diagonally downwards, picking an updraft that took me above the roof. I slowly pulled my wings up and down, up and down, until I was hovering in one spot in front of Dylan.

Actually, I hate the word "hover". It's impossible to "hover". Nothing in this world can "hover". Hovering means staying still in air. What kind of bird has ever just floated? They all have to use some sort of movement, making them shift in place no matter what. Even airplanes and helicopters have their motors!

Anyway, I was hovering over Dylan. He looked at me, then at the path I had just flown. His lips were pursed. Cute. I think he was nervous. I looped around the roof, getting to the other side. There's this little door-cube thing that leads to the roof via stairs in the house. That's what we use when our wings our tired. I hid behind it. When Dylan continued to look down, I snuck up behind him. Boy, was I going to enjoy this!

I crept behind them, holding back giggle-fits (I have chronic giggle-itus. Fang says its because I need to release my stress in a healthy, not punching way), then pushed Dylan with all my might. Would you believe that he actually started flapping his arms before he remembered that he had wings?

Right before he went kersplat I jumped off the roof behind him. It would look really bad if Angel or Nudge or anyone found a Dylan pancake tomorrow. He released his wings, tipping the way I had. What a good little observer! But then, before I could see what was happening, he disappeared. If I hadn't gone after him, I could have just said that he had run off or something. But instead, before I could tilt back up, I was engulfed in whatever had gotten Dylan. I would say it was a wormhole, but it was more like a huge hurricane! I couldn't tell up from down from sideways, and as part bird, that never happens. To say the least, it was very disconcerting.

Then it stopped. Very suddenly. And everything was quiet. For me, quiet is not good. Quiet means ambush, or mad scientist, or kidnapped bird kids.

In this case, quiet meant ambush.

I immediately went into Terminator mode and started kicking and punching. I couldn't get a good look at exactly what I was kicking and punching, but they sure looked like Erasers. Not that that was possible, since Jeb was now supposedly aligning himself with the good guys. Dylan was beside me, fighting with all his might. He wasn't too shabby, either, not that I would ever say that to his face.

Then there was a blinding flash of light, and all the Erasers disappeared. I wish I could tell you more, but everything was so disconcerting. If you had asked me then, I would have thought my feet were where my hands are! All I know is that when I could see again, Fang was standing in front of me.

**Please review! I don't know when I can update again, but the more reviews the faster I'll be. Pinky swear!**


	2. The Obvious

**All righty. Chapter 2. Awesome. I love the number two. It's more than one, but less than two. Speaking of fun, ranting is almost as fun as the number two! While I'm at it, let me make it perfectly clear that I do not own Maximum Ride. This story is purely fanmade. Other than that, please enjoy!**

I looked at Fang. For some reason, he seemed older, as though he had seen much more than any other teenager on the planet. And the way he was looking at me, well, it was creepy. It was like he hadn't seen me in years! But…well, if I say impossible, I know it will come back to haunt me in a paragraph or two.

"Hi Fang," I said, brushing off the shock of recently being attacked by Erasers. I looked at Dylan. He was on his knees behind me. I'll be honest, I smiled. Heh.

"Max," Fang said with something like yearning in his voice. "But how? It's been years!"

Great. You see what I told you?

"Uh, years? Fang, I only left to teach this dud to fly a few minutes ago!" Dylan was up by now. He moved to stand next to me, but I none-too-subtly sidestepped away.

I guess something I said clicked inside of Fang, because his eyes widened and he looked side to side. Actually, the looking side to side part wasn't so unusual, us being on the run all the time and so on, but the emotion in those eyes. Very un-Fang like.

"You all right?" I asked. Without answering, he grabbed my hands and led me on a spiraling route that zig-zagged between trees, through bushes, and, once, off a cliff. It wasn't a big deal, since it was like a four foot dropped, but you couldn't see the ledge from the edge. Ha. I rhymed. Yep. I's got skillz.

Finally, he stopped in a very lush area. There were bushes and trees everywhere, with the ground being wet. There was a small pond a little ways off, and you could actually hear the water running.

Suddenly, I heard a rustling of the leaves behind us, and instinctively turned and kicked…and hit Dylan square in the jaw. "Hey! I'm on your side!"

"Whoops." I guess you could say I was sorry, but not really. I ended up making his jaw swell, taking away from his godly good looks. Ha, serves him right for trying to take me away from Fang.

I glanced at Fang. He immediately wiped away the huge smile that was spread across his lips that made my heart sing. Yep. I wasn't sorry.

Once more, Fang looked carefully all around. Then he motioned for us to follow as he went into a bush…and disappeared.

That sounds really corny, doesn't it? I mean, he just walks into this bush that doesn't even reach up to his hip, and all of the sudden, he disappears? Well, sorry. I can't help it. I'm trying to be accurate, here.

So, yeah, he disappeared. I didn't gasp or anything, to my credit. Instead, I trusted Fang. I always trusted Fang. Always will. He's just that awesome. I walked into the bush, and all of the sudden, the ground beneath my feet disappeared. Yep, just like that. It really wasn't that big a deal. I mean, hello, bird kid! I just opened my wings up a little, and it was a pretty easy glide.

I suppose Dylan went right after that, since I could hear him tumbling against the metal walls that went in a straight line the whole way down. I landed with only a gentle sift marking my presence. Then Dylan fell right on top of me with a huge crash! Really, what am I? A pillow?

"Get off me! I'm not a pillow, Dylan!" I exclaimed. Nothing like getting right to the point, eh?

Fang seemed to come out of nowhere, which is easy for him since he's got that camouflage-shadow power thing. Sometimes, I think he actually likes making me jump out of my skin. I'd get him for it, though. And then we'd giggle about it.

"Shh!" Fang shushed in a rather loud whisper. "Be quiet guys. We can't get caught here."

"Why?" I asked. Fang looked at me pointedly. "All right, all right. My lips are sealed." I locked my lips. Fang smiled and helped me up to my feet. Dylan slid off of me. Ha, guess he lost consciousness. And he's supposed to be my other half! He can't even take a few bumps and falls and kicks and punches. He's got a lot to learn.

Fang tsked. He was probably thinking the same thing. See? There's my other half in the real world. Who's big idea was it to try to perfect that? Huh, oh wait. Yeah, Dr. God. Whoop-dee-dooh-dah-day.

Quietly, Fang snuck up onto Dylan, lying on him. Then he said in a high, girly voice that I sure hope wasn't an imitation of the girl who makes his breakfast, "Oh, Dylan. I love you so much!"

I rolled my eyes. "Aren't we supposed to be quiet?" I whispered.

Fang smiled and my heart melted again. I've gotta get that fixed. Not. "For this, I'll risk it." Risk what, now that was the question.

Dylan started mumbling as he tried to get up. "Max? I feel the same way!" Oh great. I got the feeling things were going to be really awkward.

And they were. For Dylan. Fang slapped him, getting off of him and walking toward me. When he was next to me, he put his arm around my shoulder. Dylan looked flabbergasted, so I wouldn't have to worry about him for another day.

But Fang was all business like again. He put his finger to his lips, obviously forgetting that he was the first one to break the silence, and leading us through a maze of metal. I wondered where all this came from. They eerily reminded me of the School, and let's face it, I didn't want to be reminded of the School. Ever. So I just stared at Fang's back. Wow. He was wearing one of his old shirts that survived the first Eraser attack from when they kidnapped Angel. It was a little tight…but I wasn't about to tell him that. Dylan was behind me, sulking.

Finally, we reached a door. It was metal (duh) with five locks. With an agility that only comes when one has been unlocking things for years, Fang got through each of the locks and opened the door before I really got a good look at what he was doing. He led us in, once more careful to make sure we weren't being followed.

When he came in after us, he locked the door, turned to us, and said the most obvious thing I've ever heard in my entire life. "The Erasers are back."

Well, duh!

**All right. There's a little something to think about it. I hope to upload the next chapter quickly. Just a little warning…I'm one of those people who's in love with cliffhangers. But, if they bother you like a flea bothers a dog, I'll make my chappies a bit longer to erase the really bad cliffhangers.**

**Also, I'd like to thank the people who reviewed. It's really appreciated, and it motivates me to write more (wink, wink). So, I'll be back. Please review and comment until then. And I'll come back with a black car and crash through the window because I obviously have no patience. (Terminator joke…Anyone? Anyone? Ah well.) TTFN**


	3. Fang

**Let the rant continue! Guess what? I put, in Chapter 2, that two is greater than one and less than two! Ha! Doesn't that makes sense? Yeah, it doesn't even sound right to me! And I'm the one who wrote it! So, for all those who might have been confused (please let there only be a few of you), two is less than three. However, three is less than four, and that's where we're at. Three, I mean. Anyway, to get to the point, I do not own Maximum Ride. The books just gave me the power to super speed read. Yes, a very important talent, speed reading is…Yoda moment down now. Onto the story!**

"Yeah, I kind of figured that part out when all those Erasers ambushed me!" I said. My toes started tapping on the soul of my sneaker. That was actually becoming one of my coping mechanisms. I never thought that it would be tapping for Fang, though. He was always my cope-helper, not my cope-starter.

While my toe was busy tapping, I automatically glanced around the room. Not with my head of course. Just with my eyes. All the details came in. Like the rest of this place, whatever it was, the room was covered wall to wall with metal. The seats, a desk, even this plant alone in the corner, all of it was metal. And it was a plant!

"There's more," Fang said calmly, completely ignoring my tone. You'd think it was another afternoon with the rest of the flock, and Fang was commenting on how well they were coming along. Unfortunately, I wasn't too sure if it was still afternoon at all anymore. "The School's back. Everything we ever feared, it's all back."

I rubbed my temples. "That can't be right, Fang. We destroyed the School, what, at least in the time it would take to make three books. AT LEAST! "

"Actually six," Fang grunted, eyes downcast. This was bad; he was showing emotion! "Max," he said, eyes still focused on his boots, "You've been gone for three years. The last time I saw you…" Fang couldn't seem to continue.

I thought back. "When Dylan and I went out to fly?" It was a guess, but in Fang's eyes, I could see it. The hurt. "Oh my gosh, Fang! You didn't think that we had…that we had gone away. Run off together." Immediately my toes stopped tapping. I couldn't think. I knew I was right. And when I can't think, I react.

"OWWWW!" Dylan howled, bending over to rub his slammed toes. My foot was now satisfied, but I sure wasn't.

"I can't believe you. You're supposed to be my 'other half' and a little toe nudge incapacitates you? Unbelievable." I almost stamped his other foot, but I somehow managed to control myself. Instead, I turned to Fang. "And you! How could you possibly think that I would leave you for that?"

Fang looked me in the eye, and before I could rant anymore, he pulled me in. Wow. It was awesome. I hoped he couldn't feel my heart fluttering. But I wasn't about to let it go that easily. "What were you thinking?" I asked.

Fang didn't let go. "I wasn't. Not really. Max, we waited for you for three weeks, and you guys never came back. Then we searched the whole state for you, for any trace of a battle, or a hair, or anything. You guys just disappeared. Together. And then Angel said so many things about what you had been thinking-"

"Angel," I muttered in what was in between disbelief and knowledge. Figures. I leave for three weeks, and my little Angel decides to start a mutiny. And, if Fang is right…"So, what has she been up to for three years?"

Fang took a deep breath, and his eyes stared back at mine. Yep, they were older. And this was all my dear, sweet, Angel's fault. No. She wasn't all that sweet and dear anymore. Somewhere down the road, she had decided to become diabolical and conniving. I'd done my best. She had been my favorite. But, sometimes, there's just nothing you can do.

"It's a long story," Fang said.

"I have time. Apparently, all the time in the world," I responded. I needed to know.

"Are you kidding me?" Dylan cried. Oh, great. I'd forgotten about him. I guess I was kinda hoping he had decided to disintegrate out of my life. Oh well. I'd have to keep putting up with him. "Max, we should just get out of here. This is obviously some alternate future. We don't have a part here." I raised my foot menacingly, and he immediately took a step back. "I'm just being honest!"

"Yeah, well keep those thoughts to yourself. You don't get anything!" If only my looks could kill.

"I get everything, Max. I get you, and I know that we should just leave before we become enwrapped in this craziness!"

"This craziness is my flock, Dylan. You're welcome to try to leave any time you want. No one's keeping you here. Go learn to fly or something."

"Max, you're wrong. You're the one keeping me here. I can't leave you. I can only try to convince you about what you should do. I know this is hard, but we really should just try to find our way back to our time."

"For what purpose?" I asked, stepping closer to Fang. "Something happens. Something with Angel. If I go back now, she'll just stab me in the back like she's doing in this time. Fang, I'll stay. Please, tell me your story."

"Max," Dylan started, but I just glared at him. He sighed. "I still don't want to be a part of this. Just tell me when it's over." He opened the metal door, stepped out, nodded at me, then finally left.

"Well, finally," Fang sighed. He brushed a strand of hair out my face, his eyes shining brightly with…were those unshed tears? What had happened? "It's so good to see you again. Things have gone so bad since you left. I'm sorry that I believed Angel. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please, please forgive me. Please, Max."

Wow. My disappearing for three years must have eaten him up on the inside. I caressed his face in an almost natural way. For me, it had been less than an hour since I had seen him, and still my heart fluttered as though it had been decades. Three years. And he was still mine. "Don't worry about it. At least not now. Whatever happened, well, to me it hasn't. So, what did Angel do, exactly?"

Fang sighed, obviously relieved. One tear slid down his cheek, but he just hugged me. When he released, that one line of wet was gone. "Oh, nothing much," he said in that mysterious tone he used so well. "Unless you consider her bringing back the School much."

I paused, shocked. Finally, I squeaked, "Noooo, that isn't much at all. I hope you all had dinner, though."

**Okay. It might be awhile before I update next. School is a very busying part of life. However, I will get to it ASAP. In the meantime, please review! TTFN**


	4. Angel

**Hello again! All right, numero cuatro. Before I actually start writing numero cuatro, let me make you all aware; I DO NOT OWN MAXIMUM RIDE! It is an awesome story, and, on September 19, 2010, I had the inspiration to create a FanFiction for the chapter that was never written. Now, for your enjoyment, you get to read my rendition of Maxi. Okeedokey, that's done. Vamanos!**

"Fang, what's the matter?" I asked. He was bent over, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. What was the matter with him? All I had said was that I hoped they had had dinner. It's called Max-sarcasm; he should be used to it by now…Oh, wait. Yeah, three years. That's how long he hadn't had my brilliant sense of humor. Well, I'd have to get him used to it again, wouldn't I? "Fang?" I asked again tentatively.

After what seemed like forever, Fang finally looked up to me. I'd been afraid that he had actually been crying (I hoped not. That would be very un-Fang-like, and that's the last thing I needed at the moment), but found a ginormous smile plastered on his face. No way! Fang was laughing? Well, that's almost as scary as the crying.

"Sorry," he gasped, trying to catch his breath, "it's just that after all that's happened, well, I really missed your twisted sense of humor." I just stared at Fang. When he had first shown up, he had seemed himself. A little bit older, maybe more menacing. Now, though, it was obvious that so many changes had occurred between now and my time…What if he's not even the same Fang anymore? My Fang? I mean, I'm not that punny. (What? No giggles? Man, this crowd is tougher than Fang!)

"Are you okay?" I asked tentatively. Fang nodded. "Are you sure?" Another nod. "Sure?" This time, Fang's face returned to that normal impassive look that he usually gave me. I smiled. "All right. Just making sure. So, you were saying something about Angel bring back the school. Well, this is news to me, so you might want to fill me in."

Fang looked toward the door. "Is it okay that lover boy over there isn't here to listen?" I just glared at him. "Sorry, sorry. Just making sure that Angel wasn't really right."

I sighed exasperatedly. "Fang…"

"I know, I know. Well, here's the gist of it…"

Boy, did I get the gist of it. And that's an unfortunately.

So, just so that you don't get confused later on in the story, or within the next page, I'll try to spell it out so the whole world can get the gist of this. Yeah.

When I didn't come back, after my so-called friends who knew perfectly well how to fly left me to teach the nub of all my problems how to soar, Angel started working her magic. And, of course, she started with the most difficult person to convince. You see, as soon as she had him, well, she had the whole flock. No wonder Fang has problems.

Apparently, Angel was holding her powers back for the last couple of years, because she is just nasty when it comes to entering people's minds and taking at least partial control. Flashback time!

0:

"Fang," Angel entered Max's room quietly. Ever since Max had disappeared, Fang had spent more time than ever there. He loved her scent, a scent he might never smell. Her style, a style she wore so well. Even her teddy bear that she kept hidden in the deepest recesses of her closet that proved that she was just a sensitive as she was strong. Fang missed all of it. And to think that that guy, that true mutant had stolen her away, that he was the one enjoying all those wonderful things that were Max, well, it just tore him up inside.

_Doesn't it?_

Fang started. What was he thinking? This was the first time that such thoughts had entered his head. He was positive that Max had a good explanation. She always had the best. There was probably some needy family that needed her somewhere, and Dylan, well, that guy was probably just trying to keep up with her

_Or maybe there on the same ground by now._

"Come in," Fang whispered. He didn't really want to speak to Angel right now, but he couldn't just sit here thinking about it. He'd go insane.

_It's all her fault._

"Hey Fang," Angel said gently, sitting on Max's bed next to him. Fang didn't say anything. "You know that she hasn't popped up. This is the first time you've been home with the entire flock for three weeks. Don't you think it's time to stop looking?"

_She's obviously stopped looking for you. You're not a hot-shot after all, Mr. Silent-and-Cool._

Fang glared at Angel, but his gaze quickly softened. "I'll never stop looking, Angel. And you should know better than to plant thoughts in my head. You know it won't work, honey."

Angel feigned innocence. "What are you talking about? I would never try to control your mind, Fang. And besides, I just can't. You're too powerful."

_Not powerful enough to keep your own girlfriend, though._

"Angel, I know the difference between my thoughts and yours. If you want to rule the flock, do it the right way; through exemplary acts. That means no mind control. Besides, Max will be back any day now, and you know how she feels about you trying to control the flock. And, if you continue, you'll learn that I feel exactly the same way." This time, Fang hardened his gaze so much that Angel squirmed.

"Whatever you say, boss-man." Angel shrugged off her uneasiness. "Besides, I'm only seven. You can't expect me to do everything around here."

With that, Angel left. Fang sighed.

_Max betrayed you. You can't run the flock, and we need a leader._

But those disastrous thoughts remained.

A year. That's how long Fang went without sleep, without a moment's pause, without those horrendous thoughts always in his head. Every day, when he woke up, it was a day Max was waking up with Dylan watching over her. At lunch, he could just see those two sharing a marshmallow.

And the worst part was, he knew it wasn't his own thoughts. They were invaders in his own mind. No, not his mind. By the 365th day of all this, his mind belonged to Angel. Sure, he had his free will, but he was tired. A year without sleep can do that to even the most skilled mind.

With Fang out of the picture, everyone automatically turned to Jeb. He was the obvious choice. Sure, Max hadn't liked him, but by this time, he had everyone's trust. Well, everyone except Angel. She still couldn't invade his mind. He had been preparing for a moment like that. Ever since he had seen Angel, he knew that one day, being a follower wouldn't be enough. In reality, he had been planning on training Fang on how to block his mind's wavelengths, but it was too late.

So, with Jeb next, and the obvious choice, Angel did what she had to do.

One day, when Jeb was alone in the house's living room, the last place he had hoped to see Max, Angel entered.

"Sweetey, I know what you're planning, and you know it won't work." Angel just scoffed. "Max will come back."

"In the meantime, you're a defenseless old man, and I'm an all-powerful little girl. So, let me think…Oh, yeah! You're going to do what I tell you."

Jeb laughed. "Actually, I'll never do what you tell me to do. I've already told the flock about your plans. The only one staying is Gazzy, but that's mainly because you're his one blood relative. The rest of us, we're leaving."

Angel pouted. "Aww, and I thought that you would want to see Max come back."

Jeb smiled. "She will. And she will not forgive you for this, little lady. When she comes back, you can expect her full and potent wrath. Her job is to save the world. Even if it's from you."

Jeb got up and walked to the door. He attached the ladder to the rungs. "Show me that you're not going to do what I pray you plan to. I'm going shopping, because someone needs to provide for the flock, and since you don't know the basics of leading, that's me. Good-bye, Angel." With that, Jeb attached the ladder rungs to the clips on the floor and started down.

When he was halfway down, Angel began laughing hysterically. He looked up, smiling slightly. "You proved me right, Angel." With that, Angel released the ladder from the house, and turned away as she heard the crunch from below.

DX

"Jeb died?" I screamed. I mean, I didn't like the guy, but I didn't want him dead. Fang smiled for the first time since he had started the story. "You said 'crunch'! He couldn't have survived that!"

Fang's smile grew wider. "I managed to regain my senses while I was watching Angel and Jeb talk. I don't know how she didn't notice me. She was probably concentrating on trying to penetrate Jeb's mind that she just let her guard down. By the time she had released the ladder, I was outside and ready. Jeb survived as healthy then as he is now."

"So he's still alive?" I asked, a smile invading my face.

"Yep!" Fang said. Then his face darkened. "That's about the only good news. We managed to leave. Without us there, Angel took over everyone. Iggy, Toto, her own brother, Gazzy. The little queen just couldn't stop. She's out there, watching. Since the two years since I left her with Jeb, she's managed to take over the entire world. It's kind of sad, actually."

I stared at Fang. Now I knew why his face was different. He'd gone through mind control and back. "Do you still doubt me? Are Angel's lies still in there?" I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer to that.

Fang smiled, then pulled me in for an embrace. "You're here, Max. I believe you over that little ten year old every day. I'm just so sorry that I didn't believe in you when you needed me most."

"Well, I did go through a worm hole. Who would have thought that that was even possible?" Fang let go of me.

"Before we do anything else," Fang said, "you need some dinner."

I paused, remembering something. "You still haven't told me how Angel managed to bring the School back," I pointed out.

"Oh, that was the easy part for her. See, we never really destroyed the School. They were always here, just underground for a long period of time. With Angel's telepathy, she convinced the leader to let her run it. In fact, that's how she's been able to keep control over the world for so long. She has an infinite number of Erasers at her disposal. She even brought Ari back to life."

Ari. My brother. Jeb's son. Man, you leave for three years, and you just miss everything, don't you?

**Max wants everyone to review! Please contribute to the Max-donation fund for sending in at least one review. Remember, it's for the exploding bunnies. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll get the next one up as soon as I'm able to. See ya!**


	5. Dinner

**Whoah, Angel, take it easy. It's just a story! *Nervous chuckle***

"**You're kidding right? This isn't me! I'm not that evil!"**

***Whispering* Yet.**

"**Aaaah! Angel chop!"**

**Geez, that was close. I just want to let all of you readers out there no that I do not own Maximum Ride. James Patterson does. And Angel's a maniac. Beware!**

"**Come back here and fight me like a fighter!"**

**Aaaaah!**

"Mm, this is good. Oh, this is so good!" I couldn't seem to stuff enough of Fang's food into my mouth. It was beautiful, gorgeous even. "I thought you said you couldn't cook." I said between mouthfuls.

"I can't," Fang said, pushing his food with his fork. Obviously, he wasn't hungry. Instead, his eyes were focused on me. I ignored it, but it was still a little awkward. I remembered an article I'd once read on the Internet about how eating is when you're at your most awkward. Yup, the guy who wrote that knew a lot.

But that night, I had six eyes on me, not just two.

And, for some reason, I was the only hungry one.

I wonder what time it was? That whole wormhole thing totally messed up my internal clock. Dumb wormhole.

"Jeb is the master chef here."

Oh, yeah. I'd almost forgotten about him.

"Thank you, Jeb." Dylan, always the polite one. I bet he was trying to get on Jeb's good side. That way, he and my "father" would arrange my marriage with the promise of Jeb's cooking or something. Don't put it passed them. I know I won't.

"No problem," Jeb said, his fingers steepled in front of him. His eyes had that same look, the one of examination. Ugh. I stuck my head back into my food. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I finished my plate and there was no more food. Double ugh.

Against Fang's and my wishes, Jeb had insisted that we let Dylan join us for dinner. I would have been fine letting the guy wait outside the door for a week and feeding him in a doggy bowl, but I guess that would have been a little harsh. So, he was sitting at our small, rectangular, metal table, barely touching his food, staring at me. I felt like a show. I should be selling tickets.

I pushed my plate away from me, wiping crumbs off my face with my arm. "So, Jeb, I hear that you backed me up against Angel." I paused. "I guess I should say thanks, so thanks." Jeb nodded. Even though I was incredibly happy that he'd survived, I still wasn't going to let my guard down. I trusted him about ninety-nine percent. If he wanted Max's stamp of approval, he'd need to gain one more point.

"Least I could do," he said with a smile that soon turned into a frown. "Now, onto business. I heard about your dilemma-"

"Were you spying on us?" I asked, my voice rising a bit more than I had intended. Instinctively, my mind replayed my entire encounter with Fang. Nothing that bad had happened, but is privacy as extinct as chivalry? "Seriously?"

Jeb looked around, saying something with his eyes. When I raised my brows in question, he sighed. "We are living in a world dominated by Angel. And, technically, you're in my house. I take whatever precautions I find necessary when it comes to staying alive."

I scoffed. "Angel wants you dead?" The words sounded wrong in my brain.

Fang coughed, getting my attention. "Actually, she wants me dead. She thinks that he's dead already."

"And I plan on keeping it that way." Jeb leaned back in his chair, putting his legs on the table. I just stared. "It's the way I relax. Anyway, we have a new problem, solution whatever you want to call it."

"Let me guess," I said. Together we said, "Max and Dylan." Surprise, surprise. "So, what do you want? I suppose I could go out there and creep Angel out a bit, but I'd have to be back to get to the next wormhole-"

"I'm not sure you understand your predicament," Jeb said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure that I wanted an answer.

"Well, wormholes are unpredictable things. The fact that you got sucked into one and survived is a miracle in itself, and then there's the way you arrived here, which is good news for us. However, I'm not sure if another wormhole will open up again, and if one does, the odds of you going through it and back to your own time is even less likely."

"So what? I'm stuck here."

Fang and Jeb shared a glance. "Yeah, pretty much." Fang's bluntness was not really wanted at the moment.

"Well, what about the wormhole that we came through? Do you think it might still be open?" Dylan asked, eyes restlessly gazing at everything and nothing.

Jeb checked his watch. "If you can get there in five seconds, then yeah. Wait, wait. Cross that. No, it's closed."

"It's three years in the future and Angel thinks I'm…actually I don't know what Angel thinks I'm doing right now, and I really don't care. What am I supposed to do? I have to get back to my own time to prevent this from ever happening." I gazed at Fang. I happened to catch Dylan's eyes. They said, loud and clear, _Told you so._ Triple ugh.

Meanwhile, Jeb had an idea. "Well, there is one thing you could do. It would actually be a double-winner. See, Angel has a time machine. I hear it's only a prototype, but by now it probably works relatively well. If you could infiltrate her main base, you might be able to use it to go back three years. And, if you do that, this alternate universe will also be saved. We could overthrow Angel!" Jeb was excited now. He'd taken his feet off the table and started leaning forward. "This could work!"

Fang looked a little less enthusiastic. And by a little, I mean a lot. "Not to be discouraging, but do you even have a plan?"

Fang's comment had no effect on Jeb's mood. "Not yet, but we don't have to do anything yet. We'll take our time, plan things out, not leave any holes. And then we'll close in on her."

I bit my lip. "Just a question. How do you know all this stuff about Angel?"

Jeb answered my question with a wave of his hand. "Oh, Ari is still on our side, even if Angel revived him. Anyway-"

Ari. My brother. "One more thing," I said, trying to find some humor. "How come Angel has all the cool toys and all we get is a metal fortress?" Seriously, how's that fair?

**See, Angel, you have cool toys. So stop complaining.**

"**I will not stop complaining!"**

**Wow. If I had to pick one word to describe you, it would be spoiled. Anyway, please review, you guys! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


	6. Fang's Discussion

**Sorry for the slight delay in posting. I've just gotten back from a huge case of "mental block". Don't worry, though! The doctor says I'll be okay! I don't own Maximum Ride!**

Dinner was over, so I started walking toward my room, Fang on my right side, Dylan on my left.

Awkwardness all around.

"So, have any good movies come out in three years?" I asked, wanting to break the horrible silence.

"I don't like this idea," Dylan said, the first thing since we'd found out the wormhole had closed.

I blinked at him, then said, "I was asking about the movies, but okay. Point taken. Not that I really care for your opinion." Dylan looked down, staring at his feet while we walked. After a few seconds, I asked again, "So, good movies? Come on, the cinematography must be great by now!"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with that guy on this one." Fang. Always so, well, blunt. It's part of the reason I love him, but still, it can be kind of annoying.

I sighed, seeing how I was never going to find out about the movies from the past three years. "Look, I'm not to keen on it either. But, in a weird sort of way, this whole mess is partly my fault. I mean, I know I didn't ask for a wormhole to open up and send me here, but Angel has and always will be my responsibility. You know how I care for the Flock! I can't just let things lie as they are." I turned to Fang. "And don't worry. It's not as though we're going up against her today or even next week. We have plenty of time to train and get…reacquainted." Then it appeared. The infamous Fang-smile that sent my heart a-fluttering.

After a few more steps, we finally reached what I assumed was my room. It was metal (do I seriously have to keep saying that? My towels were metal for metal's sake!) and had three bolts running down it. Fang handed me three tiny keys. With a quick kiss, I left him to go shower off. It had been a long day. Sure, it was a lot to take in, but I was just living in the moment. For now, my only worries were whether the shower had warm water and that Fang and Dylan didn't totally kill each other.

…

"So, do you sleep across from her? I bet you put me on the opposite side of the building or something," Dylan grumbled. Fang didn't say anything, just started walking down the hall. After a few doors passed and a couple corners were turned, Dylan asked, "Does anyone else stay here? We've passed almost twenty doors!"

"Didn't you boast about your great eyesight way-back-when?" Fang responded in his own Fang way.

Dylan sighed. "Well, ever since the wormhole, I can't see anything. I figure it's because we're in an alternate universe. Geez, it's so weird here."

Suddenly, Dylan was up against the wall with Fang holding him up by his collar. Even though Dylan was still a little bit taller than Fang, the dark-haired birdman had him beat in strength. And a couple other things. But seriously, strength. "This is your fault. You should have seen the wormhole coming. Even though you're in a new universe now, you weren't then. You could've warned Max. And it's just wrong to let her blame herself for this."

Dylan smirked. "Yeah, well why don't you tell her that? What's holding you back from telling your theory to her?" Fang silently glared at Dylan. "It's been three years for you. Maybe she doesn't want to be with you. Maybe she knows that you're not good for her. I'm her other half. I know her. I tried to ask her to leave while we had a chance, but she stayed with you."

"Do you have a point?" Fang asked.

"Yes, actually. That without you, Max and I would be safely home. I didn't manage to see the wormhole, but I could've gotten us out of here."

"That's not the way it looked when I came. You were both being attacked from all sides by Erasers, and you really weren't helping her win that battle. From my perspective, if you hadn't been there, Max could've concentrated on winning instead of protecting you."

"So, what now?" Dylan asked.

Fang looked at him, his eyes wavering, trying to make a decision. Slowly, he placed Dylan on the ground again. Holding out his hand, he said, "Let's call a truce."

"What?" Dylan asked, looking dubious.

"A truce. I want Max to be safe. You want Max to be safe. If we stop arguing and work together, she can return to her own time." Dylan still didn't look too sure. Fang sighed. "Listen, I didn't tell her about what happened to the rest of the Flock. When Angel finally had them in her grasp, it wasn't enough. She needed to make sure that they'd never deceive her. So, she took away the thing that we always treasured the most." Dylan arched his eyebrow. "She ripped them of their free will." Dylan's eyes stumbled.

"She's that powerful?" he asked, his voice quavering.

"Probably more now that it's been two years since that happened. Listen, I don't want Max to have to worry about that yet, but I especially don't want her to worry about us ripping each other's head off. I'll tell her before the invasion, but you have to promise that you won't try stealing her away from me."

"In my perspective, you stole her away from me before I even had a chance."

Fang growled. "I love Max more than anything in the world. Now, please, promise me that you won't make her worry about us two going at it."

Dylan looked around. "Okay, but I want a room that's in the same hallway as her."

Fang smiled. "Fine." With that, they shook hands.

"That was easy," Dylan said as the walked back the way they came. In a few minutes, Dylan was in front of his room, to the left of Max's. "I can't believe it."

Fang smiled, walking past Max's room and to the door on the right of it. "Yeah, well, don't think you got too lucky." He walked into the room next to Max's.

…

Peering through the crack in my room, I saw Dylan entering the room on my left and Max the one on my right. For a minute, I wondered what deal the two had struck up for Dylan to get such a nice room. Then I wondered what Fang had done to it.

Either way, things were certainly getting interesting.

Now, be careful, because interesting doesn't necessarily mean good.

**And that was Chapter 6. Please review! It makes me all warm and happy on the inside!**


	7. A Date?

**I don't own Maximum Ride. While I have your attention, no matter what happens in this next book coming up, **_**I'll**_** always love you, Fang.**

"**That's rather disconcerting. Now, type the chapter."**

**Aww, you're no fun…But you're still my little flying teddy bear!**

"Max, you've gotta stop this. You're training way too hard."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the ignoramus, formerly known as Dylan. Seriously, we'd already been in this metallic hideout for three weeks, the planned day for infiltrating Angel's fortress was a week away, although that could be changed whenever we wanted, and what had Dylan done? Nothing. Nada. Zippo.

Well, that is if you considered complaining night and day doing nothing.

The only relief for me was that Dylan and Fang hadn't totally killed each other. However, if Dylan told me one more time to stop training, I might be slightly more than tempted to show him why training for a mutant-bird kid is important.

"When are we getting out of here, anyway?" You could literally here my better judgment snap. Bye bye nice Max.

"What's up, Max?" Dang it. The one voice that could always reconnect my brain in the right way.

"Hey Fang," I said, turning my back to Dylan. I could see Fang taking in my training room. I was pretty proud. I'd fixed the entire thing myself. In the far corner, there was a huge tree branch that I had ripped out on my first and so far only outing since coming into this hideout, in the center was a chair that was torn in pieces. The goal was to put it back together…That really wasn't going too well. Finally, by the door, there was a big dummy made of doors and knobs that was coincidentally dressed using some of Dylan's clothes. Heh. Who says that I don't have a dark side?

"This is pretty sad." With those four words, my little Max-world crumbled.

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to train myself…" Wait, that was wrong, but I trudged on. "So, how are you doing, Fang? Getting ready for next week?"

Fang grimaced. "Yeah, speaking of which, would you like to go out?"

I frowned. "Is this a joke?"

Fang just stared at me. Oh, yeah. Fang doesn't really joke. At least, not anymore. He was so serious whenever I was around him. The Fang I was used to was silent, but he was also…totally awesome and funny, smart and open with me. It was like this Fang was hiding something. As the leader of the Flock, it was my job to figure out what.

No, not the leader of the Flock. As Fang's girlfriend, it was my job to comfort him, just like he's always comforted me. I knew this day would come some day, I just didn't think it would happen in an alternate universe in some time warp thing.

"Where would we go? Is there some special room in this metallic hub?" The whole metal thing was getting to me. What can I say? Every time I touched a wall, I felt like getting a tetanus shot.

Oh wait. Needles. Never mind. I'd deal with it.

Fang chuckled. Something told me that he didn't like this whole metal thing any better than I did. "No. But there is a mall past the woods, just a few miles from here."

A mall? What am I? A girly girl? However, after thinking a bit…"Does it have a food court?" Jeb's cooking? Horrible. Or subpar at most.

Fang smiled. My heart fluttered. "Yeah, there's a food court."

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Sure." With that, Fang and I held each other's hands and headed out. For a minute, I thought I was forgetting something, but I just shook my head.

…

"Hello, what about me?" Dylan yelled desperately, but the door closing behind the more than happy couple drowned him out. "Dang it," he whispered under his breath. With nothing better to do, he started piecing together the metal chair that Max had been working on for three weeks. Within an hour, it was as good as new. "And she says I need training," Dylan scoffed, just before he walked right into a wall, banging his nose.

**Sorry for the shortness and the lack of updates. I'll do my best to finish this up quickly, but I figured a short chapter is better than no chapter at all. Please, please, leave a review! It gives me the warm fuzzies. **


	8. The Truth

**Well, no one reviewed, so I'm guessing that these short chapters don't fly as high as Max. So, if you think there's something I could be doing better, feel free to comment. Don't forget, anons are allowed. Also…I DON'T OWN MAXIMUM RIDE!**

"I thought you said we would go to the food court!" I said, crossing my arms and refusing to go one step farther. The walk through the woods wasn't what bothered me. It wasn't that we'd spent a whole hour in this place. It wasn't even the fact that Fang seemed obsessed with trying new clothes (that is, me trying new clothes. I mean, sure, my trusty tee is a bit tattered, and my jeans have seen better days, but do I look like a pink, frilly dress type of girl?...Although, I will admit that it was nice to see Fang in that new leather jacket that I forced him to buy…)

"I never said that we were going to the food court. I said there _was_ one. Big difference." Oh Fang. Always the loophole finder. He would make an excellent lawyer, especially since he was saying so little that no person on this planet would catch any word-mishaps.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to the food court. It must be two in the afternoon by now, and I'm starving!" As I walked away from Fang, I had to wonder what his deal was. He had invited me out, which is like a trip to Disney World, but he'd barely spoken a few sentences to me! The Fang I remember…But that's just it. This Fang is not the Fang I remember. I should really stop comparing them, but, it's just…

"Max, wait!" I turned around. Fang was walking toward me. Okay, initiative. That's a good sign, right? "Listen, Max, there's something I have to tell you." I raised my eyebrow expectantly. Fang paused, hesitant. "I think it would be best if we discussed this over a nice box of pizza. I'm paying."

I didn't know whether to be happy or not. He seemed so serious. I put on a happy face, hoping I wouldn't regret it later. "That's good, because I've got absolutely no money on me!"

…

The food court was like the rest of the mall, practically empty. It amazed me when I entered that the mall was as silent as a graveyard, with a few of those graveyard walkers shopping. Not that I'd gone to too many malls in my universe, but I always assumed that malls were overcrowded, over-expensive, and over-hyped.

I was right. With me making comparisons to graveyards, this mall was really heading downhill.

But that pizza. Boy, was that good! If only it wasn't in this sad, sad mall. Shame.

"Whoo, boy. I missed you, old pal!" I said, shoving an entire slice into my mouth. Supreme pizza. I was told that if I ate this entire pizza in under an hour, I got a plushie. Not that I wanted the plushie, but I gladly accepted the challenge. One more slice. "Heh. Come to mama." I said, pushing it into my mouth. Good part about being part avian? No calorie comebacks! "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm done with this pizza." The lady waitress behind the pizza counter who had been timing me looked at her watch. Seriously, her eyes almost popped out of her head. "Wow," she mouthed.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense. Did I make it?" I asked, batting my eyes innocently.

There was a suspicious look in her eyes. Her gaze shifted to Fang, but he held up his hands, as if saying, "Don't look at me. She ate that all on her own." My smile widened.

The waitress sighed. "You hold the new record, miss. Five minutes and three seconds for a ten inch…supreme…pizza." Was that disappointment I heard? "I'll be back in a minute with your prize."

As she was turning away, I asked, "Could you also bring out another pizza? I'm still starving!" Geez. That lady's going to need eye patches to keep those things inside. You'd think it was the first time she saw a teenage girl eat an entire pizza in five minutes.

I walked back to Fang, taking a seat across from him. He hadn't told me what he wanted to yet, which was frustrating beyond imagination. Maybe he needed some indirect nudging.

"So, you come here often?" I asked, gesturing to the empty food court. There was a couple on the other side of the court, which seemed like a mile away. They couldn't hear anything we said…unless they were mutants or something, which wasn't entirely out of the question.

There were exactly two exits from the food court; a glass door and a hallway that led to the rest of the mall, which probably had thousands of exits. Sorry. Checking exits is a habit of mine that I'm not about to break. Ever.

"No," Fang said. His eyes were wandering around, checking the exits for the nth time. Good to know that never changed.

"Do you know what the plushie I won looks like, by chance?" I asked. No one had told me yet. Evidently, it was a surprise. Ugh. I don't like surprises, but it's worth it for the discounted pizza.

Fang locked gazes with me. "You know, I haven't heard the Voice lately…" I said, trying to break the silence. It was true. Ever since I'd gone through the time warp, my voice had magically disappeared. I'd almost forgotten about it, but I finally noticed when I wasn't constantly hearing, _Choose Dylan! He da bomb!_...Yeah…

Fang cocked his brow. "Really?" He thought for a second, then said, "Well, isn't Jeb the Voice sometimes?"

"That's what I thought, until he told me he wasn't anymore. I don't know. I kind of miss it. It had a good sense of judgment…Okay, if the Voice is in my head right now, listening, let it be known that I just had an entire pizza, and I may not be in my right mind!"

Fang smiled. "At least you don't get those headaches anymore. Those scared me so much." He paused, then leaned toward me. "When you almost fell that one time, I think I almost barfed up my heart."

I frowned, remembering the first time the Voice had come. I'd felt as though my head was being opened by a not very gentle sledgehammer. Thoughts of the past reminded me of my Flock. "Do you think they're all right?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs. They'd been in my thoughts for awhile now.

Fang. He was my last link to them, and he hadn't really said that much about them. That worried me more than the thought of having to face Angel. My little Angel had fallen while I was gone. Sad to think that she had wanted to take over so much that she'd almost killed Jeb, and was searching for Fang.

"Physically, yes." Fang looked down. He started twiddling his thumbs. That was a really, REALLY bad sign.

"Fang…is there something you want to tell me?" I asked, slowly reaching leader mode and losing my Max-on-date personality.

Just then, the waitress came to the counter. "Oi! Girl! Here's your plushie and another pizza." I stared at Fang, but he was silent, so I got up and went back to the counter. "Just so you know, there's only one plushie per day, so, even if you eat this one, you're not getting another one. These things are too rare to just be handing out."

I looked around once more at the practically empty food court. "Yeah, I can see why you'd have to worry." I walked back to my table, dropping the pizza box on the table, right between Fang and me.

"Listen, Fang, I know that you want to protect me, but you have to tell me every…Why am I holding Iggy?" The plushie, it had every detail of Iggy that I remembered. Even his eyes looked blind, which I don't even know how that's possible.

Fang sighed. "See, Angel got a new power. She can make you lose your free will."

I swear, a fly went into my mouth when I heard that.

"I've been trying to think of a good way to tell you, but…it's just so hard to imagine, Max. And I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop her before she got to the Flock."

Before I could have a moment, I got up from my table and headed to the glass doors. I needed some alone time. I'm sorry, too, Fang. I know that you were trying to help me, but no matter how you put it, it's too hard to think about.

A Flock, following orders, with no will of their own.

And our will was what made us the Flock.

So…what are we now?

**Please, if you do nothing else, leave a review. It helps me spread my wings and soar like a Max!**


	9. Iggy and Nudge

**Maxie, why don't you do the honors?**

"**Who do you think you are, calling me Maxie?"**

**I'm the author, and I do as I please. Now, GIVE THE DISCLAIMER!**

"**You've read the series. How often to I give into angry, capital letter using people?"**

***Grumble grumble* Fine. I don't own Maximum Ride.**

"**So, why'd you invite me here, anyway?"**

**Oh, just forget it.**

I sat on a tree branch, thinking about things. So, Angel was evil _and_ she had taken control of the Flock. Magnificent! Great! This made me feel even better than when I found out that she had taken over the world. _In just three years!_ How does a seven-year old do that?

There was a rustling. In my mind, I kind of hoped it was Fang, coming to explain, apologize, or just comfort. But there was also a part of me that didn't want to see him, at least for a while. I'll admit, the fact that he had kept crucial information about the Flock away from me bothered me. If it was me, I'd tell him!

But, if he was in a new world, a new element, and getting ready to fight a battle against Angel, well, maybe I'd reconsider for his own health. I knew he loved Angel as much as I did, so this probably just as hurt by her "going to the dark side" as I was.

I looked down. To my disappointment, it wasn't Fang. But it was another member of the Flock.

"Iggy?" I whispered hopefully, slowly getting up and balancing on my little tree branch. It looked just like him, only his hair was longer, completely covering his eyes. He was slightly taller, and his clothes looked more futuristic (three years into the future, duh…), but he was definitely my Iggy. The chef of the Flock.

Following close behind him was another figure, slightly smaller, but still recognizable from my high perch. "Nudge." This one came as a shock. She was usually so style-concerned. This Nudge, well, her clothes did not match at all. She had a yellow t-shirt covered with brown smudges and a ripped pair of jeans. And, wait for it…bare feet! No incredibly painful-looking shoes that she insisted gave her something in return. Her hair was down, with long bangs covering the top part of her eyes.

I wanted to call out to them. After all, they were my Flock, but something held me back. Something instinctual. And I always trust my instincts.

"Angel told us to investigate this area," Nudge said in an emotionless tone.

"Yes, yes she did," Iggy replied, scanning the area. I had to wonder how, considering he was still blind. At least, I was pretty sure he was blind. Unless Angel somehow got the ability to magically cure disabilities, in which case she should be using that power for good instead of evil. But we've been through that before.

"I wonder why. We haven't been this close to home in years." Now that was news. Jeb and Fang never told me that we were by our old home in the mountains. Then again, maybe I should've taken some time to actually explore my surroundings.

"Ssh, you don't want Angel to hear you talking about home, or else…I don't want to go down that road." Was Iggy…afraid of Angel?

Nudge shuddered. "I mean, we must find the primary target, or, uh, something like that."

Okay, so I will admit that seeing some of my Flock initiated my mama grizzly bear mode, and I wasn't really thinking too clearly anyway, what with the invasion coming soon and all that, but I had to go down to help my kids.

"Nudge, Iggy, guys!" I exclaimed, jumping down from my tree and embracing them in a huge, Max bear hug. Sometimes, I can be very beary, wouldn't you agree? I was just so happy to see them. It had been so weird, these past few weeks, without them there to look after and bother. Most of that bothering was not in my favor, but, you know, the Flock's the Flock, and nothing can change that.

"Max?" they both exclaimed, their surprise clear on their faces.

"The one and only," I said, unhooking them. I took them in again. They looked better from a distance. A lot better, sadly. I'd have to wash these kids up when I got them back to the hidden lair.

And isn't that just so weird? I have a lair, and I'm the good guy!

"Max!" Nudge squealed after a momentary pause. She lunged at me, practically knocking me down.

"Whoah! You've gotten bigger, Nudge." Turning to Iggy, I said, "So have you. You guys look pretty dirty. You do know there's a mall right over there, with this awesome food court. Oh, by the way, here you go, Iggy." I handed him the little plushie I had won over at the pizza place.

"What is it?" he asked, turning it around in his hands.

"It's a little doll of you. Come on, you're telling me you don't remember what plushies feel like? What have you been doing for three years?" It was a double-meaning question. I said it in a happy tone, but I really wanted to know what had happened, and if what Fang had told me was true.

"Us! What about you? You completely disappeared, Max!" Iggy's anger caught me off guard. Nudge sniffled.

Patting her tiny head, I explained in my awesome, Max-explanation way, "I got sucked into a wormhole with the flightless-wonder and ended up here. Fang told me that Angel got rid of your free will, though. Is that true?" Another shudder from Nudge. She really hadn't spoken much yet, which was really starting to worry me. If there was one thing that I always used to count on, it was my little chatterbox, Nudge. So far, she was more of an emotional-box though. Maybe it was the teenage hormones. After all, she was a teenager now.

Iggy's head went up, as though he was looking at the sky. "Yeah. She can. It doesn't really last that long, but it's…scary, Max. Really scary."

"Yeah, and when' s the last time something scary kept the Flock down?" I asked, trying to reinstall Iggy's enthusiasm. Fang may not have been right about them not having free will right now, but whatever Angel had done seemed to be working just as well. "When we're together, nothing can stop us!"

"That's just it," Iggy said, his head leveling off at mine. That's when I saw his eyes. They were still a really light color, completely void of color like before, but there was something there that hadn't been three years ago. It was as though his eyes alone had aged rapidly, while the rest of his body went along at the normal speed. "We're not together anymore, Max. We haven't been for the last three years. Angel keeps the Gasman with her at all times, and you went off with Dylan-"

"Whoah, whoah, hold up. I never, NEVER went with that guy! He dragged me into a wormhole while I was trying to teach him to fly!"

"That's what they all say. And, for the record, I'm rolling my eyes." His eyes weren't moving, but I got the context of that.

I pushed Nudge away from me, wiping her tears with my shirt. "What about you, Nudge? Do you think we have a chance?"

Nudge didn't look me in the eyes. "I don't know, Max. I can't hurt Angel, even if she is an evil mastermind who's making the world a worse place. She brought back the Erasers, Max! The School! They're making new test-tube babies, trying to make a completely new race that will wipe out the rest of humanity so bird-kids are the only ones left. And, what's worse, we helped her."

Now, there was nothing I could say to that. "Well, why don't you come back with me. Fang is here, too, and we're going to make things right."

"What about Dylan?" Whoah, he did not just say that in the "you-have-a-crush-on-Dylan" way, did he?

"He's at the lair, too, but it doesn't really matter, since he's next to useless. Actually, useless would be better, considering I have to save his hiney every five seconds. Man, that kid's going to be such a thorn in my side."

That's when we heard it. Another rustling in the bushes. I put Iggy and Nudge behind me, blocking them from the noise. I got into my battle stance, ready to face off against-

"Fang?" I said, my day brightening despite everything that'd happened. This was most of the Flock! We could definitely pull of the invasion.

Fang's eyes widened. "What are you two doing here?"

"Angel sent us," Iggy replied, keeping his voice level. "She never told us why, but I think I figured it out."

Fang gulped. I could read exactly what he was thinking in his face. It was the same thing I was thinking. _She knows!_ "Are you being followed?" he asked, looking everywhere at once. I rolled my eyes. Like he would find anything that way-

"Get down!" He shoved us to the ground just as a dart whizzed above our heads.

Is this universe happy, constantly proving me wrong? I mean, come on, give me a break, already!

**A fantastic fight scene will come up shortly, so, please review if you want shortly to be made even shorter. Come on, you know you want to!**


	10. Angel's Appearance

**Well, it's been awhile, huh, Dylan?**

"**Yeah, I suppose."**

**I. Suppose. *Jump***

"…**Wha-"**

**How can you not get the reference? What kind of avian bird kid doesn't play Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS?**

"**Umm, one who's always on the run and trying to win the heart of a blonde beauty whom he has no chance of winning because, let's face it, Fang's just a better guy unless the author goes out of his way to make him a jerk."**

**Heh. I made you say that!**

"**Where am I?"**

**Can you tell the readers that I don't own Maximum Ride?**

"**I don't own Maximum Ride."**

**Well, obviously. Otherwise, you guys would be the preferred couple! I just wanted to hear you say that. Now, onto the wonderful story that involves a Max, an Angel, a Fang, and a random wormhole!**

"**What about me?"**

**YOU'RE UNIMPORTANT!**

***Sniff***

While we were on the ground, dodging little darts that were just flying above our heads, a cold, humorless laughter filled the air.

And I've gotta say, as far as evil laughs go, this one was pretty maniacal.

"What is that?" I shout-whispered to Fang. He shook his head. He didn't know. I turned to Iggy and Nudge, but they were cowering, trying to get as close to me for protection as they could. I figured that left me two options.

It was either Angel or the bogeyman. But Nudge and Iggy could kick the bogeyman's hiney to Chinatown, so I guess that left Angel.

And that also meant the whole "invasion" thing was totally busted. Dang universe. Whenever I have a plan, it just loves to make it implode, doesn't it?

Well, it turns out that I had had enough of hiding and planning and getting ready for an invasion that would involve Jeb (ugh) and Dylan (double ugh). Rising to my feet and letting my wings expand, I rushed into the air, just above the darts. "Yo! What is this?" I called, flapping my wings to stay in place. Everything stopped. I suppose the darts were just the initial attack. There was a pause, and everything was quiet.

Aw, great. That's when all the good fighting stuff happens. "Get up, guys, and go into position alpha-omega!" That was a move we had practiced just before we had gone on our Africa campaign and met Dylan. I had only practiced it with Fang, Iggy, and Nudge. I had battle moves for all individual members of the Flock. There was one with Iggy and Angel, Nudge and Fang, and Total with Gazzy and me (yeah, you do not want to see that one). They were just in case protocols, seeing how I never thought I'd be in a wormhole.

Weirder things have happened, though, right? Being prepared is the best way to prevent a disaster that could potentially involve evil maniacs. The Flock sees a lot of those.

Anyway, back to alpha-omega. I called it that because I was the alpha, and it involved a "z" shape, which I'm told is omega. I rose up to the highest point, with Fang just under me and to my right, Iggy under him and to his left, and Nudge at the bottom, also to the left of Fang. It's an awkward position, but the several different levels means that Fang and I have the sky covered while Iggy and Nudge have the ground. It works to our unique fighting styles, since Fang and I are just awesome in the air.

Not to toot my own horn or anything.

We waited, in our own flying "z" shape, looking everywhere and at everything. Finally, I saw the tree to my right rustle as a lone figure stepped out.

"Angel," I breathed. She was older, taller, and, regrettably, more evil-looking. I remembered how her blonde hair had always made a little halo above her cute little head. Now, she had died it a bright red with black stripes every here and there. There was a glint in her eyes that hadn't been there three years ago. I looked down to see all of my remaining Flock shaking, although Fang showed it the least.

"Hello, Maxie. Long time, no see, huh? Of course, you deserted everyone, so that's what you wanted, right?"

"I didn't desert anyone!" I replied. "I got trapped in a wormhole that sent me to this weird future!"

Angel blinked. "Well, of all the excuse you could've pulled out, I can honestly say that I didn't expect that one."

"What, you can't read my mind anymore? You can't tell that I'm telling the truth?" Now, that was just a bluff. I was positive that she was reading my thoughts, but I wanted to make the rest of the Flock feel okay. I just wished Gazzy was by my side. I could've used his explosive ingenuity.

"Yeah, Gazzy's at my lair right now, working on a little project I had planned…just in case you showed up."

Great. She even called her headquarters a lair. How evil does that sound.

"Well, then, why are you here?" I asked, folding my arms.

Angel just shrugged. "I wanted to see if the rumors were true. I'd heard that you'd come back, but I wanted to see it with my own two eyes. I figured that you'd come out when you saw Iggy and Nudge. I lost two Flock members, but in the long run, I'll gain two more." Angel glared pointedly at both Fang and me at the same time. Fang. He's so calm and collected.

"Yeah, well, good luck with that," Fang muttered. I could tell that he'd rather live on a deserted island filled with screaming Fang-atics then follow Angel.

"Unfortunately, it won't be your choice when the time comes. And don't think those kind of things, Fang. I can get an island set up before you even say Fang-atics. By the way, cute wordplay, Maxie."

"Would you stop calling me that!" I exclaimed, shooting toward the branch. Who cared about the invasion? I could take Angel out here and now and get the time machine thingy later.

I saw her smile, then disappear. I swirled around. Was that a new power?

"Max, behind you!" I heard Fang shout. I looked up. Erasers. Everywhere.

And there was that fight scene I was talking about earlier. It just came after the evil person rant.

How lovely.

Well, I adjusted quickly, blocking the Eraser's hit to my chest just in time. He was mean, lean…and green. In fact, in my quick look around, all the Erasers were green.

Weird. You'd think they'd be pink.

My Eraser started coming at me with a bunch of fast jabs and kicks. I was hard-pressed to block all of his hits, and by the time I managed to get my own roundabout kick in, I could feel the bruises forming all over. My Eraser just smiled when I kicked him. Apparently, he was pain resistant.

"Guys, pair up!" I shouted. There were just three Erasers and four of us. Why Angel decided to bring so few Erasers is beyond me. Fang came to my side, and together, we managed to take down the Eraser that had tried to surprise attack me.

I glanced down, checking up on Iggy and Nudge. The two Erasers left had ganged up on them, and I could just tell that they were in trouble.

I swooped down, landing a pretty nasty kick on one of the Erasers. These badboys were the ones with wings, so the goal was to drop them to the ground. When they were there, apparently they were pretty useless. I guess they'd gotten downgraded or something.

"Iggy, Nudge, the wings!" I shouted as Fang came up from underneath our Flyboy and hit him in my direction. I did a 360 in the air, landing a kick on the top of his head. He landed on the ground with a crash.

Iggy and Nudge were going the speed route. They kept switching sides, trying to confuse the Flyboy. I guess it worked a little too well, because he just gave up and fell to the ground in a swirling heap.

I brushed my hands. "Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be."

Fang grabbed my arm, pulling me away. Iggy and Nudge followed close behind. "Yeah, and I don't want to be there when the reinforcements come. We're going back to the hideaway. With Iggy and Nudge, Jeb's gonna have to revise the plan a bit."

"But we have less than a week before the invasion day!"

"I know," Fang said patiently. "But it's got to be done."

With that, the four of us made our way to our hideout.

See, there's the difference between good guys and bad guys. WE call our headquarters hideouts or hideaways, or even home. The bad guys call it a lair.

Which one do you prefer?

**That's it. Now, REVIEW! It's greatly appreciated!**


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